


Going through the unimaginable

by NurturingSilence



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Cannon, F/M, Inspired by Music, One Shot, growing back together, other's points of view
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 04:21:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8235911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NurturingSilence/pseuds/NurturingSilence
Summary: Peeta and Katniss's healing seen through the eyes of the district.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was listening to the Hamilton cast recording when this song came up. It depicts Hamilton and his wife growing back together after the death of their son, and it just seemed to fit Katniss and Peeta so well that this story was born.
> 
> I do not own these characters, they belong to the amazing Susanne Collins. 
> 
> The song was written by the wonderful genius Lin-Manuel Miranda.

 

 

Song: It's quiet uptown

From: Hamilton

by: Lynn-Manuel Miranda

(The words in italics are lyrics from the song)

 

 

 _There are moments that the words don’t reach_  
_There is suffering too terrible to name,_  
_You hold your child as tight as you can_  
_And push away the unimaginable_

 

**Hazelle**

  
She sees the boy walk by, sadness heavy on his shoulders. His eyes stare at the floor as quiet words slip from his lips. She has seen him before; he walks the length of town at night. They say the nightmares don’t let him rest. After everything he has suffered, after everything he has lost, she didn’t blame him.  
  
She was lucky, she still had her family. She still had her children to love and hold close, even if one chose to stay behind, he was still safe and alive. But the boy and the girl have no one. They lost it all… for us.

“Is that Peeta Mellark?” an older woman she has never seen before asks her.

“Yes”

“Not much of him is left is there?”

Hazelle stares at the woman; healthy and alive holding a bag of government supplies in her hand. Others on the street have also come to meet the government train. They have heard her and have turned to stare at her as well.

“That is a very harsh thing to say ma’am.” The doctor’s wife says behind the woman.

“Well he doesn’t look like the boy I saw in the games.”

“He has suffered ma’am. He has endured more pain than either one of us will ever have to.” Hazelle admonishes the woman. “Did you fight in the war ma’am? Did you survive the games? Were you tortured by Snow? Did you lose anyone you loved?”

At her silent no Hazelle turns her eyes on the boy disappearing down the road. "Please have pity on him. He is suffering...he is working through the unimaginable.”

 

 _If you see him in the street walking by himself,_  
_Talking to himself have pity_  
_He is working through the unimaginable._

 

**Haymitch**

 

The boy spends hours in the kitchen, trying to remember the recipes that are now buried with his family in the meadow. He walks alone to the town, takes his breads and shares them with those he finds along the way.

He seems to like the quiet of the evening when everyone is headed home to their families. Haymitch has seen him walk for hours, always pausing, like he was now, outside the girl’s door, making sure to leave her a loaf of bread, before heading home.

His eyes stay on the boy until he retreats into his house, and just like every night the girl’s door opens. A slender hand reaches for the bread wrapped in linen on the floor. He watches her hug the warm bundle to herself before closing the door.

Haymicht turns away from the window, takes a seat at the kitchen table, leans his head on his arms and does something his mother taught him once. Something he has never done before.

 

 _And I pray,_  
_That never used to happen before._

 

**Thom**

 

  
The boy quietly hands him a bread, before offering some to the man working next to him. Along the line of workers he walks offering his breads to them. Once he finds himself without any more bread to share, Thom watches him, reach for a shovel and take over one of the workers who seemed to be affected by the sun.

The boy was working through the unimaginable; his hair seemed to have gone gray in places, probably from the pain he went through in the Capitol. His scars probably stung him in the sun, but here he was still standing, still fighting.

The boy works quietly with them, for the remainder of the afternoon. When work is stopped, he sets the shovel aside and passes by them without a word.

Thom’s eyes follow the boy, as he walks down the empty street, pausing outside the remains of the bakery. His family was removed a long time ago; all that’s left is the shell of a building that doesn’t exist anymore.

Thom can’t help but admire the boy. He was knocked down, by the worst of circumstances. He fell apart, but he was strong and seemed to be slowly putting himself back together.

Thom continues to watch him as the boy turns away from the bakery, hands in his pockets, his head down and continues to walk the length of town.

 

 _His hair has gone gray, he passes every day,_  
_They say he walks the length of the city._

 

  
**Greasy Sae**

 

  
_Look at where we are,_  
_Look at where we started…_

 

She arrives later than usual that morning. Instructing her granddaughter to sit at the kitchen table, she asks her to wait for her to be back. She makes her way into the house, searching for the girl and the boy who have begun to share their breakfasts together.

The voices coming from the room down the hall, where the boy now paints, stop her before she reaches the door.

“I wish I could trade her life for mine…” The girl whispers between sobs. “Don’t you wish you could bring them all back?”

“Katniss…” The boy’s soft voice reaches the older woman’s ears. “I wish every day I could change the things Snow took. But wishing for something that I can’t change is not helping me let go of them. I have come to understand that I have to forgive myself for living when they are all gone, if I’m going to have a chance to get better.”

“Forgiveness?”The girl whispers.

“Yes.” He answers her. “Katniss, just look at where we are, look at where we started. We have come a long way, and I know we are not there yet and who knows if we will ever be. But if you let me, I will be here by your side, as long as you want me.”

“Together?” the girl’s voice cracks on the word.

“Together.”

Quietly backing away from the door, Sae feels a tear slip down her wrinkled cheek. She has seen so much pain throughout her life, so much suffering, some of it improved but most of it never got better. But these two broken children were fighting their way out of their painful past, the same way they have done everything before, together.

 

  
_If I could spare his life,_  
_If I could trade his life for mine,_  
_He’d be standing here right now,_  
_And you would smile,_  
_That would be enough…_

 _Just let me stay here by your side,_  
_That would be enough._

 

  
**Hazelle**

 

They have begun taken walks together. Hazelle tightens her hold on her daughter’s hand, grateful none of her children will ever have to go through what these two children had to.

They pass by her side, greeting her with a small smile. They don’t hold hands, they don’t touch, but they talk. Deep into the night they walk side by side softly whispering to each...as they heal.

 

 _If you see him in the street,_  
_Walking by her side,_  
_Talking by her side,_  
_Have pity,_  
_They are working through the unimaginabl_ e.

 

**Haymitch**

 

They are standing in the garden, Peeta quietly standing by Katniss’s side. She bends down and plucks the first blossom of primroses of the season. She stands, the small bud cradled to her heart, her shoulders shake as she opens her hand and sets it free to be carried away by the wind.

Together they stand watching the petals disappear one by one into the sky. She takes his hand. He brings it to his lips. She leans her head on his shoulder and they begin walking toward town.

It’s not until late into the night that they return. The boy is ready to leave her at her door like he does every night, but she looks up at him, her hand still within his and he nods, before she pulls him inside.

 

 _If you see him in the street,_  
_Walking by her side,_  
_Talking by her side,_  
_Have pity_  
_They are going through the unimaginable._

**Author's Note:**

> I should really be working in my other fic, but this song touched my everlark heart and I couldn't get this out of my mind. I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
